Scientists studied gamma-ray burst GRB 230906A, which was observed in 2023 in a pair of galaxies undergoing merger. They believe that its source is the collision of two neutron stars, indirectly caused by the event.
Gamma-ray burst
Galaxy collisions, gamma-ray bursts, and the chemical composition of our bodies — could they have anything in common? It turns out they do. At least, researchers from the University of Pennsylvania claim this in an article published in The Astrophysical Journal Letters.
There, they studied the extremely powerful gamma-ray burst GRB 230906A, which was observed in September 2023. Even then, it was discovered that it took place 8.5 billion light-years away from us. It is not surprising that we saw it from such a distance. After all, these are some of the most energetic events in the universe.
Now scientists have been able to study this event and know what happened there. Scientists are certain that it was caused by the merger of two neutron stars. It was this that caused an extremely powerful explosion, the energy from which reached Earth billions of years after it occurred.
Galaxy merger
However, there is another factor to consider in this case. Neutron star mergers are not very common events. However, it was here that it was most likely to happen. The fact is that the system in which it occurred was indeed a pair of galaxies that began merging about 700 million years ago.
And such processes are accompanied by the emergence of shock waves in interstellar gas. Ultimately, this leads to its densification and intensification of the star formation process. The more stars that form, the more heavy ones evolve into neutron stars. This means that the probability of a gamma-ray burst increases.
Needless to say, all of this is important for the earth. After all, some heavy elements, such as gold, are only formed when neutron stars merge. And these substances are also present in our bodies. Thus, we were all born from these flashes.
And the fact that they become more frequent during galaxy collisions is also important for us. After all, in a few billion years, the Milky Way will merge with the Andromeda Galaxy, and this will also give rise to new gamma-ray bursts.
According to phys.org
